Think Outside the Box - A Graduation Card with a Twist!

Have you ever needed a card in very specific colors—and couldn’t find anything in your stash that fit the bill? That was me this past weekend. I needed an orange and black graduation card for a special graduate and party, and I wanted it to feel coordinated and thoughtful. So, I did what any creative crafter would do: I raided my Halloween paper!

Yes, you read that right. Halloween paper! I knew I’d find orange and black in one place, and sure enough, I had a pack of retired Designer Series Paper that fit the theme perfectly. I flipped through and found some great coordinating prints. (Hot tip: There’s almost always a more neutral or subtle pattern on the back of seasonal DSP!)

I paired the paper with a fun retired stamp set, Go Graduate,
and made a matching mini note card to tuck in my personal message.

One unexpected challenge? When I opened the card, the reverse side of the DSP showed a bit of purple—which clashed with my theme. It bugged me enough that I added a piece of black cardstock to the inside to hide it. Problem solved! And then I decided to recolor the little owl on my note card to make it a bit more subtle.

This project is a great reminder that sometimes, the most creative solutions come when we’re willing to use supplies in unexpected ways. Even though I was using retired products, I still found joy in mixing and matching to create something meaningful.

So the next time you’re stuck, don’t be afraid to flip that paper over or look at seasonal sets with fresh eyes. There might be a perfect solution right there in your stash—you just haven’t seen it that way yet.

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Surprise Pop Up Gift Card Holder - Creative Blog Hop

I've been nominated to participate in a Creative Blog Hop by my friend, Mary Ellen Stites.  She has a lovely blog at Create with M.E., and I enjoy following her paper crafting as well as getting an occasional peek at some of the other projects my very talented friend has been working on.

Since most of us are in the thick of Christmas shopping, I thought my latest project would be perfect to share today.  Each year as a part of a holiday themed class, we do a gift card holder.  Here are some of my favorite past projects:  Santa, pop-up, package card(most popular post), another Santa, pop-up box, Pop 'N Cuts, and a gift card tin.  So this year, I wanted something unlike we'd ever done before.

I had so much fun creating this card using White Christmas.  It's got so many different stamps in the set that you can make this card for absolutely anyone.  I went with the car to create my own little "Over the River and Through the Woods" scene.  You can find the directions at Splitcoaststampers to this Surprise Pop Up Card that we turned into a gift card holder. 

As a part of the Creative Blog Hop, I get to answer a few questions about my crafting style:

1.  What are you working on?

I am putting the final touches on a Christmas Card Stamp-a-Stack that will be this Friday and Saturday.  We do 3 cards and I am finishing up the 3rd card idea to allow myself time for cutting and prepping supplies. Hopefully while I am working, my mind will wander and I can be thinking about Christmas tags for a class next Tuesday.  

2.  How does your work differ from others in your genre?

I am a fairly simple stamper.  I like at add a button or ribbons from time to time, but I tend to keep my projects basic ink and paper.  I own so much from the catalog, but I remember a time when I owned very little and wanted to be able to recreate the things I saw at a workshop.  By keeping it simple, my customers can see how they can make these projects with the things they have at home. 

3.  Why do you create what you do?

Since I was a kid, I loved papers and stationary.  (I once traced a Ziggy off of a shirt with carbon paper to create my very own Ziggy stationary.  I'm sure I was an inky mess when I was done, but I only remember the beautiful stationary :-) I create so that I can share my love with others either through the mail in the form of a handmade card or through the hands-on experience of creating their own.

4.  How does your creative process work?  

I hate to admit it, but my creative process is messy.  I start with the stamp set, then get to work with colors and layout.  You'll see several different inks and pieces of cardstock spread around my workspace as my ideas are coming together.  If I can't create exactly what I'm looking for, I set it aside and come back to it later.  Many times when I come back to it with fresh eyes, I find that I like it just the way it is or that a simple change will make it the card I was picturing in my mind.  

I am nominating Amanda over at The Craft Spa to continue this blog hop.  Watch for her post next Monday, December 8.  I first found her through a Pinterest pin, and I am so glad I did.  She will take one stamp set and show so many different ways to use the same set or she will design one "wow" project and make several using different stamps.  She makes it easy to imagine a project and to see the possibilities in a particular stamp set or project.  Enjoy looking around her blog!

Don't forget tomorrow is the last day for the Online Extravaganza.  Visit my online store to shop now.

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Festive Flurry Gift Card Tin

 

My friend, Shirley, designed a gift card tin years ago, and all I remember is it had snowflakes and it was very pretty.  So when I bought this Festive Flurries bundle which had stamps and framelits, I knew this was the year to try my own.  The snowflake is a version of the one you see in the holiday catalog.  To give it the 3-D look, score the middle snowflake 6 times.  Punch the center out with the ½” circle punch.  Score fold lines so there are peaks and valleys and scrunch to the center to create 3-D snowflake and hot glue in place.  Finally you hot glue the third snowflake to the top and a Frosted Finished Embellishment to finish it off.  Attach a piece of coordinating Designer paper with sticky strip to the inside of the tin to hold the gift card and now all you need is the gift card! 

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Pop' N Cuts Gift Card Holder

 

The Pop' N Cuts Card Base can do so much more than just that one card you see in the catalog!  Here I have made a gift card holder.  It's similar to one I made some time ago but with the new die, it gives it a slightly different look.  Score at 3 ½”, 5 ½” and 7 ½”.  Fold like a mountain and punch across the center fold to create hole for the gift card using any punch you like.  Attach the bottom with Sticky Strip and assemble and attach bow.  If you were mailing this card, you could easily flatten the bow to fit it in an envelope. 

 

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Santa Gift Card Holder

I seem to make a red Santa's belt project of some sort each year.  This year it may be a card, gift tag and gift card holder!  Since the Stampin' Up! envelope punch board came out, I have been seeing all sorts of these gift card projects on Pinterest.  I thought the Santa suit would be a perfect way to hold the bottom flap shut and put my own spin on it.

• Start with 4 ¼” x 11 red cardstock.  On 11” side, score at 2”, 7 ¼” and 7 3/8”. 


• Fold on score lines.  On the end of the 2” flap, punch with Envelope Punch Board 1” from each side.


• For insert piece, start with a 6 ½” x 3 ¾” piece of red cardstock.  Score at 1 ¾” x 6”. 


• Attach insert piece right above the 2^nd of the two score lines.


• Wrap the 1” wide strip around the bottom of the card.  Washi tape would also work, but there must be something there to keep it closed or the finished product will not stay shut.      

To make the belt the easy way, use a 1" strip of black paper.  Then after you punch the glitter paper, glue a 1" black square in the center - no extra punching!

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Holiday Gift Card Holders

By request, I am having a gift card holder class on Tuesday.  At first I was a little concerned I couldn't come up with 4 that were different enough.  But once I got started, I think I have a little something for everyone.  Check back this week for more details on each gift card holder and if you're local, come by and make some for yourself. 

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Santa Belt Gift Card Holder

Here's a quicker gift card holder if you have a number of them to make.  It's a swing card just like the Santa I posted Saturday, but it is horizontal, and has a lot fewer parts. 

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Santa Gift Card Holder

 

 

This turned out to be a popular project at stamp club.  I first saw the idea of the Santa face made this way on Pinterest.  It was made by Diana Ball-Seitz, and she used it as a gift tag.  I usually do a gift card holder as one of my Christmas projects, so I made it into a swing card to hold a gift card. 

 

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More Gift Card Packages

I decided it was time to make a birthday gift card holder similar to the ones we did in club at Christmastime.  This went to a far away friend so I wanted it to be a little fancier that my normal card, but I made it so that it could be reused for most anyone's birthday.

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Christmas Gift Card Holders

Aren't these fantastic?  I knew we were going to make these in stamp club for months.  A fellow demo shared this idea in the spring - thanks Laura.  And she also shared her source if you want measurements. 

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Play Date Gift Card Holder

Here is a recent stamp club project.  We made gift card holders with the regular sized (medium) envelopes.  Fold it, cover it with Play Date Designer Series Paper, stamp the flower from Funky Four and you have a cute little gift card holder.

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Christmas Gift Card Holders

Hang your gift cards on the tree or send them off in an envelope - it's easy to do with your Big Shot and scallop circle die.  Use any Designer Series Paper and stamps to personalize your "ornament".    We'll be making these Tuesday in Stamp Club.  I will give the ladies their choice of paper from the Candy Cane Christmas DSP (although it doesn't show up in the picture, I chose the two papers that had glitter on them for a little extra bling).  Let me know if you would like to join us! 

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Baby Gift Stampin' Up! Style

My friend and fellow stamper, Rae Anne, is expecting a baby in January.  So what better way to celebrate than with Stampin' Up!?  Her sister, Becky and friend, Deana, did an awesome job with the invitations, favors, and table decorations using the Fox and Friends stamp set.  So when I happened across this outfit - I had to buy it since it fit the theme perfectly!  I created the gift bag with Fox and Friends and then made a gift card holder for some Decor Elements money.  I knew Rae Anne was planning to do some decorating in the baby's room, and I wanted to help her get started.  When she posts her finished projects on her blog, I will let you know.  In the meantime, here are some of the party decorations Becky and Deana did.      

        

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Another gift card holder

I liked the first gift card holder so much, I decided to try another. This one is for a man's birthday, so I had to keep the frills to a minimum.

Christmas gift card holder

One of the many great things about being in the wonderful demonstrator groups that I am a part of is the swapping. I found directions on Michelle's blog for this awesome gift card holder. I made this for a "Wow" swap and liked it so much we made it in stamp club the next month.